Charleston, SC
Places to Visit:
Downtown Sights - Walk the streets of downtown and see picturesque sights like Waterfront Park, King Street, Rainbow Row, French Quarter, White Point Garden, Charleston City Market
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens - Gorgeous gardens with wildlife, nature, and history rolled into one. With your ticket, you can ride the nature train tour and attend the “From Slavery to Freedom” tour.
Angel Oak Tree - Get up close views of the ancient oak tree that towers over 60 feet and branches that expand over 180 feet.
Fort Sumter National Monument - Take the ferry to see the famous site where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. Visit here to read more at the museum, view the variety of cannons, and see the history that lies within the brick walls.
Cypress Gardens - Swamp garden with views of cypress trees and wildlife. For an extra fee, you can take a boat tour through the swamp. We REALLY wanted to go here, but didn’t think our wiggle worm baby would be able to sit still long enough.
Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site - This park offers an array of attractions, including an interactive museum, the Animal Forest, scenic walking trails, and the historic wharf where settlers first arrived in 1670.
Be a Beach Bum at Sullivan’s Island or Folly Beach. Sullivan’s is said to be a bit more up-scale while Folly has a more surfer, laid-back vibes.
Learn more at a museum, like the International African American Museum, Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, or Old Slave Mart Museum.
Some family-friendly options include visiting the South Carolina Aquarium or the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry
Where to eat:
Holey City Bagels - Tons of different bagel and cream cheese flavors, plus amazing sandwiches.
Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit - Enjoy a buttermilk biscuit sandwich or try a baker’s dozen with a mix of savory and sweet flavored
Carmella’s Cafe and Dessert Bar - You just HAVE to try one or two of their miniature cakes.
Turbo Cone - This was right down the street from our Airbnb and we went twice to get their mango/pineapple whip and hurricones.
Home Town BBQ - We had the three meat combo platter while visiting Congaree NP and it was delicious.
Charleston Crab House - The menu includes so many dishes, but in the end we chose their ‘world famous’ steampot with two types of crab, shrimp, and scallops. I even tried raw oysters here for the first time and surprisingly did not hate them.
Ellis Creek Fish Camp - The casual camp setting provides a menu with stellar dishes, like the hushpuppies, po-boy, and shrimp & crab alfredo.
* The Glass Onion - We were unable to dine here during our trip, but if you have time, you should! Their menu changes daily and the dishes from past menus looked so good.
Congaree National Park
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Congaree National Park 🥾
Just a couple hours away, you can knock out one of the least visited national parks, Congaree. It may not seem like much, but this fascinating floodplain has more to offer.
The park is small with a number of different trails including one along a accessible boardwalk. When we visited, we were unable to venture too far - heat with high humidity and a baby with a portable fan that died do not go well together.
If you visit during mid-May to mid-June, be sure to enter the lottery for a viewing pass and experience the displays of synchronous fireflies at night.
